Excavator.



No. 808,636. PATENTED JAN. 2, 1906. F. F. GOLLATH.

EXGAVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED mun 11.1904.

2 sums-411mm: 1.

N @wwW u No. 808,636. PATENTED JAN. 2,1906.

' F.P.O0LLATH.

BXGAVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11.1904.

2 sun's-51mm z.

fig .3.

Z 14 Z6 15 1a 19 7% flav-MWW- ITED STATES PATEN FFIQF...

EXCAVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1906.

Application filed June 11,1904. Serial No. 212,073-

T 0 (LZZ whom it nuty concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK F. CoLLATH, residing in Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Excavators, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

This invention relates to excavators, and has for its object to provide a portable device adapted for the purpose of excavating and loading the dirt by self-contained means.

Another object of this invention is to provide an excavator with a traveling scoop adapted to be reciprocated back and forth across the area to be excavated, so that it will cut the dirt loose and carry it to the propelling machinery therefor, wherea means is provided for receiving the dirt from the scoop and conveying it to an elevated hopper, from which wagons or carts may be loaded.

Another object of this invention is to provide a propelling means for an excavatorscoop with means for permitting the operator to quickly and easily change the direction of movement of the scoop.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the devices and parts and their equivalents, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a plan view of an excavator embodying this invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is an end view of the winding-drums, showing the lever connection within the control of the operator by which the drums are caused to wind alternately; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view of one of the winding-drums.

In the drawings, 10 represents a platform of a railway-car, wagon, or other portable conveyance suitably mounted upon wheels 11 and capable of being moved from place to place, so as to be readily located near the ground to be excavated and also to be capable of being gradually moved to keep within the line of travel of the excavating-scoop thereof as the process of excavating progresses. As here shown, a suitable boiler 12 is provided on one end of the platform and is adapted to furnish steam for the operation of a steam-engine 13, mounted on the platform next thereto, said steam-engine having its drive-shaft 14 extending lengthwise of the platform and journaled in suitable bearingstandards15. Mounted in similar bearingstandards 16 are a pair of parallel windingdrums 17, each having a gear-wheel 18 in clutch connection therewith, said gear-wheels being constantly driven in opposite directions by meshing with a pinion 19, carried on the drive-shaft 14.

The winding-drums 17 are loosely mounted on their shafts 20, which are journaled in the standards 16, and the gear-wheels 18 are keyed. upon said shafts 20, and each has a pair of friction-shoes 21, slidable in radial slots thereof and adapted to bear against the frictionwalls of a flange 22, carried by the drum. The friction-shoes 21 are connected by links 23 with a sleeve 24, which is slidable on the shaft 20, but adapted to turn therewith by having an arm extending through a longitudinal slot 25 through the shaft 20. A screw 26 is threaded in the end of the journal-box in which the shaft 20 is mounted and is adapted when turned to press a pin 27, which is mounted in a bore of said shaft, against said arm of the collar to cause it to slide inwardly on the shaft 20, and thereby, through the toggle-joint connection of the links 23, press the friction-shoes 21 outwardly against the flange 22 of the drum and produce a friction-clutch between the gearing 18 and the drum 17 to cause the drum to be rotated with the gear-wheel. The screws 26 of the two drums are turned on their threads to produce such clutch connections by means of bent levers 28 clamped thereto, which are connected by means of a link 29, so that both screws 26 will be operated simultaneously; but as one of said screws is a right-hand screw and the other a left-hand screw their operation will always be in the reversethat is, as the clutch connection for one drum is made the clutch connection for the other drum is released-and consequently the single throw 'of either of the levers 28 will disconnect one drum and connect the other for a purpose to be later mentioned.

A pair of chains or cables 30 are wound upon the two drums 17 and have their ends connected to the bail-loop 31 and the rear end,

respectively, of an excavator-scoop 32, the chain or cable 30 connecting with the rear end of the scoop being passed around suitable guide-pulleys 33, secured at a distance from the platform 10 by posts 34; or the other anchoring means, so that as this chain or cable 30 is wound on its drum the scoop 32 is caused to travel away from the platform 10 and toward the guide-pulleys 33; but when the other chain or cable 30 is wound upon its drum said scoop is caused to return toward the platform 10, dragging its cutting edge into the dirt until it is fairly loaded with the dirt cut loose' thereby and bringing it to the side of the platform 10. Thus the alternate operation of the two winding-drums 17 produces the reciprocating movement of the scoop 32 between the platform and the guide-pulleys 33, one winding-drum being released by its clutch, so that its chain or cable 30 may be wound therefrom as the other drum winds on its chain or cable.

At the side of the platform 10 is secured a receptacle 35, in which is journaled a drum 36, carrying an endless-chain conveyer 37, provided with buckets 38. The conveyer is driven by a sprocket-wheel 39, mounted on a shaft 40, which is journaled in a suitable support41, carried by the platform, and has a belt connection 42 from the driving-pulley 43 on its end to a pulley 44 on the drive-shaft 14.

The dirt which is cut and carried to the platform by this scoop is dumped into the receptacle 35, where it is taken upin the buckets of the conveyer 37 and carried over the sprocket-wheel 39 and dumped into a funnelshaped hopper 45, supported from the platform in any desirable manner. The hopper 45 has an angular spout 46, which is capable of being turned in any direction to dump the dirt from the hopper into a cart or wagon, which may stand at the side of the platform 10 or at the end thereof, and a slide-valve 47 is provided above said spout whereby the flow of dirt from the hopper may be stopped and started at will.

From the foregoing it will be seen that with an excavator made in accordance with this invention it is capable of being easily moved to any position desired and the anchor-posts 34 may be quickly positioned and the operation of excavating take place continuously, the scoop 32 being caused to travel back and forth across the land to be excavated by the alternate operation of the two winding-drums, caused by the control of levers 28, so that it cuts the dirt loose and carries it to the receptacle 35, in which it is to be dumped, and raised by means of the conveyer 37 to the elevated hopper 35, from which it may be loaded by gravity into the carts or wagons for removing it. As the excavating operation progresses the anchor-posts 34 are moved step by step to new positions and the platform 10 correspondingly moved upon its wheels 11, so that the area capable of being covered by the excavating operation is practically unlimited.

While I have here shown a steam-engine and its boiler as a means for driving the winding-drums, it is obvious that the principles involved in the invention are not dependent upon these or other specific details of construction and arrangement, but that various alterations and modifications may be made in the construction here shown and described without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a portable excavator, a movable platform, a motor carried thereby, a pair of winding-drums driven by the motor, cables wound upon the winding-drums, a scoop connected to the cables, an anchored pulley at a distance fromthe platform around which one of the cables passes, a receptacle carried by the platform into which the scoop is adapted to be discharged, a conveyer for lifting the material from the receptacle, an elevated hopper into which the conveyer discharges, and a valve for the hopper through which the contents thereof may be discharged into any suitable vehicle. 2. In a portable excavator, a movable platform, a motor carried thereby, a pair of Winding-drums driven by the motor, cables wound upon the winding-drums, a scoop connected to the cables, an anchored guide-pulley at a distance from the platform around which one of the cables passes, a. receptacle carried by the platform into which the scoop is adapted to be emptied, a conveyer for lifting the material from the receptacle and operated by the motor, an elevated hopper into which the conveyer discharges, and a spout for the hopper adapted to discharge the contents thereof into any suitable vehicle.

3. In a portable excavator, a movable platform, a motor carried thereby, a pair of winding-drums operated from the drive-shaft of the motor, means for connecting the windingdrums with the drive-shaft of the motor alternately, cables wound upon the windingdrums, a scoop connected to the cables, a guide-pulley suitably anchored at a distance from the platform around which one of the cables is passed, a receptacle carried by the platform, a drum journaled therein, a chain conveyer carried by the drum, buckets on the chain conveyer, a sprocket-wheel supported from the platform at an elevation and by which the chain conveyer is driven, a pulley mounted on the shaft of the sprocket-wheel, a pulley on the drive-shaft of the motor, a belt connecting said pulleys, an elevated hopper into which the conveyer is adapted to discharge, and a valved spout therefor capable of discharging the contents of the hopper into any suitable vehicle.

4. In a portable excavator, a pair of winding-drums, cables wound upon the drums, a scoop connected to the cables, a guide-pulley anchored at a distance from the drums and around which one of the cables passes, a motor, a pinion on the shaft thereof, a pair of gear-wheels meshing with the pinion, frictionshoes in slots of the gear-wheels, and means for forcing the friction-shoes of each windingdrum into frictional engagement therewith comprising sleeves slidable on the shafts of the winding-drums, links connecting said sleeves with the friction-shoes, screws threaded in the shaft-bearings for sliding the sleeves on the shafts, levers connected with the screws by which said screws may be turned, and a link connecting the levers whereby the friction-shoes of one drum are released as the friction-shoes of the other drum are brought into active engagement with said drum.

5. In a portable excavator, a platform mounted on wheels, a boiler carried thereby, a steam-engine mounted on the platform and supplied with steam by the boiler, a pinion on the drive-shaft of the engine, a pair of gear-wheels meshing with the pinion, a pair of winding-drums, friction-clutches between the winding-drums and the gear-wheels, means for connecting the drums alternately with their gear-wheels, cables wound upon the drums, a scoop connected to the cables, a guide-pulley suitably anchored at a distance from the platform and around which one of the cables is passed, a receptacle carried by the platform into which the scoop is adapted to be emptied, a conveyer adapted to lift the material from the receptacle, a shaft suitably mounted at an elevation from the platform and adapted to drive the conveyor, a pulley on said shaft, a pulley on the drive-shaft, a belt connecting said pulleys, a hopper supported from the platform at an elevation into which the conveyer is adapted to discharge, and a valved adjustable spout on the hopper for discharging the contents thereof into any suitable vehicle.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK F. COLLATH.

Witnesses:

R. S. G. CALDWELL, ANNA F. SOHMIDTBAUER. 

